Is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Right for You?
August 28, 2025
By: Brian M. Breen
Categories: Diabetes, Health & Wellness, Men's Health, Rehabilitation, Women's Health
Tags: wound healing, hyperbaric chamber, HBO therapy, Wound Care
When your body is unable to heal a wound on its own, comprehensive wound care management is essential to avoid serious long-term complications. Since wound care is an ever-changing, specialized field, our specialists at Trinity Health Michigan Wound Care are trained in the most up-to-date techniques, including hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy.
If you’re referred to Trinity Health Wound Care, you’ll undergo a comprehensive assessment by a provider-led team. The results are then used to customize the most effective treatment plan to stimulate healing, which may include daily HBO therapy. Daily treatment is key because, like antibiotic treatment, it’s most effective when done regularly for the period of time prescribed by your team.
What types of wounds can be treated with HBO therapy?
HBO therapy has shown remarkable results in healing various types of wounds. Many patients experience improved quality of life as a result. HBO therapy is considered a primary treatment for:
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Leg ulcers
- Non-healing skin grafts or surgical flaps
- Surgical wounds that have opened
- Burns or frostbite
- Crush injuries
“For patients with these types of chronic conditions or wounds, hyperbaric oxygen therapy can significantly enhance healing and minimize complications, such as infection and amputation,” said Nicole Lonyo, BSN, RN, WCC, Wound & Hyperbaric practice leader at Trinity Health Grand Rapids.
How does it work?
Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is a treatment in which the patient breathes 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber. The air pressure inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber is about two and a half times greater than the normal pressure in the atmosphere. This “hyperbaric” (or high pressure) dose of oxygen helps your blood carry more oxygen to your organs and tissues to promote wound healing. It also activates the white blood cells to fight infection.
What to expect during treatment
Before treatment, a patient undergoing HBO therapy will be asked to put on a special cotton gown. The technicians will also ensure that the patient is not wearing any makeup, perfumes or colognes, lotions or creams, jewelry, or hearing aids. These items cannot be taken into the hyperbaric chamber. Next, the staff will take the patient’s vital signs, including blood sugars for those with diabetes, before assisting them into the chamber.
Once the chamber door is closed, compression occurs as the technician begins to increase the pressure. A treatment session is called a dive. “Dives” generally last about two hours. During this time, patients are encouraged to catch up on sleep, watch TV or listen to music. Near the end of treatment, the technician will gradually decrease the pressure inside the chamber. This is the decompression phase.
One Patient’s Story
Edward Taylor was happy to share his experience at Trinity Health Hyperbaric Medicine – Muskegon Campus and the results of his HBO therapy.
In 2020, Ed was diagnosed with prostate cancer and began receiving radiation therapy for treatment. However, because of the prostate’s proximity to the bladder, he began to experience several side effects from the radiation, including blood in his urine and blood clots. Ed’s wife, a nurse, researched the symptoms and found information about how HBO therapy could help his condition. She also learned that Trinity Health Muskegon, near their home, offered this treatment.
Ed went for a consult but was apprehensive, at first.
“Looking at the chambers, it seemed pretty scary,” he explained. Nevertheless, Ed started his HBO therapy and became more comfortable with every session. “I found that watching television during a dive really eased my worries,” he said. “And the glass was kept so clean that it did not even seem like I was in the chamber unless I reached up and felt the glass myself.”
After nearly a week of treatment, Ed’s bleeding began to stop. About two weeks prior to the end of his treatment, the bleeding completely stopped. He’s glad that he followed through with HBO therapy.
“The staff was friendly and knowledgeable,” he adds. “I do not have anything bad to say about my treatment!”
Is there a wound care facility near me?
Trinity Health Michigan has seven Wound Care locations across the state:
Contact the Trinity Health Wound Care location near you to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one.
